Quality Control

Dear makers of Tonka trucks,

Recently my brother celebrated his first birthday. My parents gifted him with a very large dumptruck bearing your name. He loves it. Just loves it. Or, at least it appeared that way for the five minutes I allowed him to try it out. You see, I was a little concerned. In the good old days, Tonka trucks were made of 99.9% metal. I noticed you've changed to composition of the toy to include only about 33.3% metal, the rest being one or more types of possibly recycled plastic. Being the caring, concerned, and responsible sister that I am, I decided to put this hunk of 66.6% plastic to the test. I think you will be interested in my findings. I found a suitable location for the testing of your product in our new garage site. Plenty of dirt, some sticks, sharp objects, rocks, and holes. I also outfitted myself with a crisp white collared shirt, red vest, and plaid skirt, as well as my finest sparkly shoes. One needs to dress appropriately when conducting field tests.

Test #1: Dumping Mechanism: Appears to work well. Nearly emptied the bed of all dirt. Pass.

Test #2: Load Handling: I weigh approximately 35 pounds. I tested this weight in the bed of the truck, on the cab, and over each wheel base. It appears to hold weight sufficiently. Pass.

Test #3: The Man-handling Test: I banged the dumptruck around in the dirt for a good five minutes. It held up nicely. Pass.

Test #4: The Zoom Test: I determined that, if after all this, the truck could get around anywhere it needed to go in a smooth and timely manner, I would indeed allow my brother to play with it. I am happy to report a Pass.

To conclude, I will be allowing my brother to play with this seemingly well-made, girl-proof toy. My only suggestion would be to make one in pink. With sparkles. Thank you for your time.

Regards, Lily